The Ones That Got Away
by Zibster
Summary: In the rapidly growing desert region of Orre, crime remains rampant and corruption is a plague to all of its citizens. After nearly escaping the wrath of the criminal syndicate Cipher, two trainers, Cade and Jackie, vow to make the criminal organization pay for its crimes, no matter the cost. (Based on the universe of Pokemon Colosseum and XD)
1. Chapter 1: Cade and Jackie

_Chapter One: Cade and Jackie_

There was a faint echo that permeated through the dimly lit hall. Jackie only had a few more steps until she reached the flight of stairs leading outside towards the dry, flaky desert sands of Orre.

She knew, deep down, that trying to confront the criminal syndicate that's been a parasite to the general well-being of the Pokemon world would be asking for deep trouble, but she didn't let this faze her.

Jackie continued to sneak past the doors of the hotel rooms that previously held guests. She passed the last set of doors at the end of the corridor and grasped the handle of the door. She pulled it towards her with an extreme sense of careful precision to limit noise as much as possible.

As she crept through the small opening that she made for herself in the doorway, she crouched behind the railing and tip-toed down the flight of stairs to the landing. She peered out from over the rusted metal and saw a small group of liberated hotel guests surrounded by two Cipher peons.

One peon opened up a suitcase that he had been holding and revealed individual cases with complex locks that were each Pokeball sized. Another peon, this one a shorter woman, walked face-to-face to the group of guests and spoke to them as a whole.

"Now, I assume you all want nothing to do with us. Well, that's just too bad. Please, to avoid us both any more hassle, place your Pokeballs into my comrade's lovely suitcase," she said in a commanding voice.

The male peon walked closer to a man in the front of the group and held the case right in front of his waist. He tapped the side of the case in agitation as the man refused to give him his Pokemon

"Mister, I don't intend to purposefully cause any more inconveniences, but if you fail to comply with Cipher's demands, force will be used. I'm quite positive that you do not want that, correct?" the peon said with a slight tone of irritation and sarcasm.

"Yeah, is that right?" the hotel guest retorted. "Well I don't _intend_ to give you any of _my_ Pokemon that I've trained for years of _my_ life."

The peon frowned and looked virulently at the man. "Now, I assume you've been taught well. And, if I assume correctly, you should know that when rules are strictly enforced, obedience is necessary. So, I'll restate myself as clearly as I possibly can: give us your Pokemon or face severe opposition."

The guest man looked furious and disgruntled. "Yeah, didn't anyone ever tell you the difference between right and wrong?" The man clenched his fist and struck the peon in the side of the helmet, denting the metal casing.

Several of the other shrieked and winced and feared what would happen next. Jackie, still overlooked the ordeal, gaped at the situation.

" _This guy is done_ ," she thought to herself. " _Wait, I should be helping them_ ," she realized to herself as she weighed the risks of involving herself in the situation.

The peon shook off the pain from the blow and glared back at the man who now looked fearful and attempted to move backwards, only to be halted by the female peon. "I gave you a chance for a peaceful resolution and you foolishly declined. At least you made this adventure a bit more interesting for me," the peon said as he brandished a stun gun and aimed at the man. A moment later, a full-force blast that could rival a Manectric or a Raichu struck the man.

The man's body convulsed as the electric shock was delivered to his upper body. He collapsed to the ground and became unconscious. The female peon reprimanded his Pokeballs and put them in the slots in the case.

"I assume that you all see no need to resist us, after seeing what will happen," the female peon said smugly. "Now, please hand over your Pokemon." The hotel guests all reluctantly handed over their Pokemon with depressed and fearful looks on their faces.

" _Okay, this cannot happen_ ," Jackie thought to herself as she grabbed a Pokeball from her pocket and released a Delcatty.

"Delcatty, I need you to use Ice Beam on those people down there, okay?" Jackie whispered to her Delcatty, which nodded in response. It got a better look of the crowd below and opened its mouth, firing a thin beam of ice at the male peon's feet, partially trapping him.

"What the fuck is this?" the peon groaned is frustration as he saw Jackie and her Delcatty descend from the rusty flight of steps.

"I'm not about to just let some goons take innocent people's Pokemon away from them without a fight," Jackie said bluntly. "Another Ice Beam, Delcatty."

Delcatty began to open her mouth again, but she was suddenly struck in the side by the fist of a Breloom. Delcatty was thrown through the air and landed on the ground, unable to battle.

"What was that?" Jackie exclaimed in pure shock as she saw her beloved Pokemon take an immeasurable amount of damage right in front of her eyes.

"Look, lady," the male peon said as the Breloom knocked the ice away from his feet, "your fight is futile at this point. If you don't want any more harm to your or your Pokemon, then let us take them now."

Jackie's heartbeat began to race as she weighed her options in her head. She could risk her safety or her Pokémon's, and neither were appealing options. A moment later, she knew what she had to do.

She eyed the male peon who still had somewhat of a smug grin and returned Delcatty to its Pokeball. She handed it and her other Pokeball to the peon and he nodded in response. As he turned away to put the balls in the case, Jackie kicked him in the back as hard as she could, causing him to lose grip on the balls. The Pokeballs rolled away and a woman made an effort to pick them up to return to Jackie, but the female peon stepped on her hand. She pulled out her stun gun and shocked Jackie, causing her to also collapse.

"You'd think they'd learn," the female peon said as she retrieved the Pokeballs and put the iin the case and locked it. She turned to the rest of the group and glared at them. "Leave this area immediately and tell no one about this."

The bystanders all fled the scene rapidly, leaving the peons with two unconscious bodies on the desert sand. A large, midnight black SUV came into view and halted as it approached the peons.

The male peon opened the trunk and put the case inside. He turned to the female directly after.

"Do we keep these two or just leave 'em here?" he asked.

"Boss has been wanting to try the brainwashing device from R&D. We can maybe use these two as guinea pigs," the female said.

The peons picked up Jackie and the man and strapped them down in the trunk and got in the back seat. The SUV began to speed off.

"I take it that tonight was relatively successful," said another peon who was at the wheel.

"There were some minor inconveniences, but it worked out all right," said the female. "Let's hope that the facility can put these two to work.

* * *

A significant amount of time had passed before Cade woke up in a dump of a room the smelled of mold. The cement floor was cracked and the walls were marked and had indentations. A sole fluorescent yellow light flickered in the ceiling. Cade rubbed his eyes and stretched before he noticed a woman lying on a bench suspended from the ceiling to his right.

" _Wait, where the fuck am I?_ " cade thought to himself in disarray. He felt the baggy pockets of his cargo pants, only to find nothing but lint. " _Great, so my Pokemon, phone, and wallet are all missing. Fantastic._ "

There were footsteps outside the cell-like room that were coming and going from all different directions. Cade heard faint voices, which indicated that there were others in this facility.

Cade lied back down on the bench seat the he woke up from and attempted to fall back asleep, but he couldn't. He sat motionless for a while until he was disturbed by a sound from inside the room. He looked up and saw the woman stretch out and get up from the bench. She look at Cade in the eyes and the both sat in confusion.

"What is going here?" the woman said in a demanding tone.

"I couldn't tell you, honestly," Cade said bluntly. "All I remember was staying at a sketchy hotel in Phenac City and I find myself here."

"Hotel… Phenac City? Wait, that all sounds familiar," the woman said, taking another look at Cade. "I remember you now. You got shocked because of… something. I don't remember much else except for I was there too."

"Well, I'm Cade," he introduced. "If what you're saying is true, then it's most likely Cipher that got us."

"This isn't something that I would've liked to happen," Jackie said nervously. "I'm Jackie, by the way. How long have you been awake?"

"Not too long," Cade said. "I woke up and heard footsteps outside the door, but no one has come into this room to my knowledge."

"That just makes things even more stressful because my Pokemon and belongings aren't on me and I'm worried if Cipher has them," Jackie said stressing out.

"They have mine, too, but I can only hope that everything is still in this building," Cade said.

* * *

Jackie and Cade sat down on the benches and looked forlorn, thinking about what could become of them and their Pokemon. A dead silence hung in the room. Minutes passed felt like hours before a knock was heard on the door. Cade and Jackie immediately turned their heads to the door.

A key turned in the keyhole and the large metal door that was bolted and locked shut opened, causing a gush of air-conditioned air to permeate the cell. A tall woman and two large male bodyguards stood at the entryway and called Cade and Jackie over.

"Come with me, you two," the woman said sternly as she guided Cade and Jackie out of the cell and down a hallway. The two large bodyguards stood to the side to ensure that Jackie and Cade wouldn't be able to get away.

The group turned a corner into an adjacent hallway and followed a few other similarly sized groups of Cipher members and "prisoners" down a narrow hallway that seemed to lead toward a large room.

Cade and Jackie turned to each other and looked fearful at what lied in the unknown ahead.

* * *

 _ **A/N: Well, I've been wanting to write this story for a very long time and I'm finally getting around to that now. After playing Pokemon Colosseum and XD numerous times, I realized how much potential that Orre region has. This story is based on the in-game layout of Orre but with a lot more substance and new characters added. That being said, if you enjoyed this chapter and would like to see more, feedback is very much appreciated!**_


	2. Chapter 2: Ticket to Anywhere

_**Author's Note: If you are reading this and have any feedback that you would like to share, I'd love to see a review! Seriously, feedback is one of the main motivators for my writing and any little bit helps. Thanks!**_

* * *

The room the pair entered was painted stark white with small skylights in the ceiling. The other detainees formed a line that reached toward a double steel door, which was cracked open enough to reveal a large vehicle, a bus perhaps, with the back hatch open.

Cade had his eyes fixated on the door, hoping he could make a run for it. Jackie was still too shocked to properly process her surroundings.

A tall man began walking down the line of captives, holding small metallic objects with two circular holes. He fastened them onto a woman's wrists and moved down towards the next person. The metal made an ear-piercing click when the pieces of metal clasped together.

" _Handcuffs, huh? Weird design for those,_ " Cade thought to himself. His silence was soon interrupted.

"Get the fuck off of me!" a tall, strong man yelled as he shook his Cipher escort away. The guard retained his grip, resulting in the man shunting him.

"Can we get a few extra guards in the main room," a female peon said from across the room into her radio. "We have a rowdy inmate. Let's not this it get out of hand this time." She began to move closer to the man.

The tall man who was administering the handcuffs made his way to Cade.

"Hands," the man stated bluntly. Cade put his hands out and the handcuffs locked tightly into place.

"Can these be loosened? My circulation is getting cut off," Cade exaggerated. The man ignored him and grabbed the handcuffs intended for Jackie. " _Well that didn't work_ ," he sighed.

Immediately, a loud thud shook the entire room, demanding everyone's attention. The rowdy man had thrown the Male peon on his back and was making his way towards the female peon and the dispatched guards. "I've had it up to here with all you crook fuckers," the man bellowed. "I'm not taking any more of this bullshit."

One of the guards that had escorted Cade and Jackie attempted to subdue the man, only to get hit by a powerful uppercut. The guard remained on the floor, moaning in pain. He began to roll around and tear up. His pain did not mitigate.

The female peon brandished a taser from her belt and stunned the man from behind, knocking him over. He too winced due to sheer pain. A few moments later, a small, stocky woman who was escorted shortly after the instigator jumped on the female peon and the two began to wrestle.

The peon shrieked, clearly not expecting any further resistance, but the captive woman did not relent. Seconds later, several other inmates began to riot and target the nearest Cipher member.

"If we have any chance of getting out of here," Cade yelled to Jackie over the chaos, "it's right now." Cade quickly stepped back as two men threw a small male peon on the floor next to him. "Come on."

Jackie still around at the worsening riot. "We have to find our Pokémon. I'm not leaving without mine." She began to frantically search around the room, trying to both avoid the conflict and find her belongings.

Cade trailed her closely, trying to stay out of sight of the growing number of guards that were called as backup. "If we go out that door now, we can probably get out unseen. We can't wait forever," he said to Jackie. She did not seem to listen to what Cade was saying.

Cade glanced over at the door near the vehicle, and saw two women dash out the door, one with blood stains on her cheek. "Jackie, I know you want to find your Pokémon. I do, too, but they probably already shipped them off somewhere. Staying here isn't safe."

"Just let me look a little longer," Jackie said, rummaging through a desk that a secretary abandoned. "If you don't want to stay, then you can go without me. Keep yourself safe. I'll be fine on my own"

Cade sighed and began to move away from Jackie. He noticed an unconscious guard laying on the ground about 30 feet away. His belongings were strewn about the floor next to him, consisting of a wallet and two Pokéballs. Cade immediately made a run for the valuables, running around a three person quarrel and snagged the guard's belongings. He held the items in his hands, unable to pocket them due to the awkwardness of the handcuffs.

Cade bolted towards the open door and noticed Jackie heading the same way, clutching a few papers in her hand. Jackie made it out of the doorway first and darted away as fast as she could with Cade trailing her closely.

It was before noon, but the Orre deserts were already scorching and the canyon they were in provided little shade. Jackie and Cade both broke a sweat immediately after being exposed to the heat. Jackie slowed down slightly to let Cade, whose motion was hindered by the handcuffs, catch up.

"Did you find anything?" Cade panted as he struggled to keep up with Jackie.

"Uh, well I got something," Jackie muttered. "I'll tell you when we can take a break."

"And when will that be?" Cade asked, exhausted.

Jackie looked forward and saw a small cave above the lower rocks of the canyon. "We can stop there," she said as she pointed to the cave.

* * *

A few minutes later, Jackie and Cade had climbed up into the small cave, which was still warm but felt refreshingly cool. The two laid down on the rock below and panted for a while until they calmed down and caught their breath.

"So, what exactly did you find," Cade asked again.

Jackie sat up and leaned against the cave wall. "I snagged some copies of papers from the secretary's desk that I think are important. One of them is detailing where the recent batch of Pokémon is to be delivered to, so hopefully I can find my Delcatty. Another one is a list of Cipher Admins, but that's the only thing on there. This third one is a blank sheet I grabbed on accident," she explained.

"Interesting," Cade nodded. "How will the Admin sheet help in any way?"

"I want to take them all down. Maybe not by myself, but after seeing what was going on in that building, I don't want to let them get away with anything," Jackie said.

Cade looked shocked. "You want to take down Cipher? You do know how insanely powerful they are, right? Like they can do pretty much whatever they want, and there's not really anyone that can stop them."

"Yeah, I know," Jackie said, sounding a little less sure. "I'll need preparation, but I want to do something to try to stop them. Maybe I'll join some kind of resistance group. That would probably be the only way."

"I think you're crazy. Yeah, a lot of people hate everything Cipher stands for, but they aren't crazy enough to stop them," Cade said. "But if that's what you're set on doing, then I won't be able to stop you."

"Well, what do you plan on doing here in Orre, then?" Jackie asked. "Cipher has all of your identification. Your Pokémon, too."

"I was thinking of leaving Orre entirely," Cade said. "I've done too many regrettable things here. I could get a clean slate somewhere else. That's always been what I've wanted."

"Regrettable things such as…?" Jackie pondered.

"A bunch of petty crime. Theft and stuff like that. Those Pokémon I had on me were stolen. That's why I wasn't super concerned," Cade said. "I feel like I can still get a new start, but I don't know if I can leave my way of life behind. Case in point," Cade detailed as he tossed the two unused Pokéballs and the wallet he stole on the cave floor.

Jackie tried to release the Pokémon inside before realizing they were unused. "I guess if we come across anything wild, we can catch it." She then perused through the wallet. "Around 1100 Pokédollars, and… a condom. Lovely. Oh what's this?"

Jackie took out a small photo from a tear in the cash pocket of the wallet. It was a picture of the Cipher guard, a young woman, and a baby girl, assumed to be his wife and daughter. The back had a small handwritten note.

"What's it say?" Cade asked as Jackie showed the picture to him.

"I'll be thinking of you every day we're apart. Don't forget to call on the weekends. It's signed Rita," Jackie said. "That's cute. I wonder if she knows what her husband was doing here."

"Maybe it's better she doesn't," Cade said. He paused for a moment. "So where do we go from here?"

"We? I thought we had completely different plans," Jackie asked.

"It'd be stupid to split up in our current situation. We can eventually part ways, but until we find out where the fuck we are and find food and shelter and stuff, I don't think it's the best idea go run off in different directions," Cade said.

Jackie nodded and thought it out. "We do need to eat. I've been so stressed that I've kind of ignored the fact that my stomach has been growling. Orre is barren, but hopefully there's something or someone nearby with something to eat. We should probably rest while we're safe."

Cade nodded. "You can sleep now. I can stay awake in case something happens. I also should find a way to get these off," he said, noting his handcuffs.

"All right," Jackie said as she stretched out on the cave floor. "If something happens, don't hesitate to wake me up." Cade nodded his head in understanding.

* * *

After what felt like hours later, Jackie woke up to see Cade fast asleep in a similar position to her's. His handcuffs had been ground down against the wall and were sitting in shambles at his waist. Jackie yawned and looked outside. She saw that the sun had almost fully set and realized that then would be the best time to head off.

"Cade, get up," Jackie softly demanded while poking Cade in the side.

"What?" Cade spat out. "What do you want?"

"The sun's almost completely gone. If we are gonna keep moving, we should start now," Jackie informed. "Get up."

Cade rubbed his eyes and stood up. "Sorry for being so hostile," he muttered, still groggy. "That nap just felt really nice. It certainly beats waking up on a metal bench in the middle of nowhere"

"I get it," Jackie said and she and Cade began to descend from the cave. "We just can't afford to waste much time."

A moment later, the two were once again on the flat desert sand. Cade felt his pockets to make sure he had the stolen belongings and began to walk off with Jackie.

"If we were in Phenac city last night, I can't imagine we could've gone that far overnight," Jackie began as the two started briskly walking. "I assume we are still in the southern part of Orre, and since there's this canyon, probably somewhere in the southeast. Finding the Outskirt Stand or Nurzey Port is probably our best bet."

"Someone brushed up on their Orre geography recently, huh?" Cade said impressed.

"Well, when you come from a different region, it's not a bad idea to read up on your new destination," Jackie stated.

"Where are you from then?" Cade inquired.

"Hoenn," Jackie informed. "That whole situation is a story for another time."

"Interesting. How far do you think we've gone since leaving the building?" Cade asked, changing the conversation.

"Definitely a few miles. It's hard to say for sure, obviously, but we ran for what felt like an hour," Jackie said, trying to think. A loud crashing noise was suddenly heard from a large distance behind the pair.

"I really don't want to find out what that was," Cade spat, picking up his pace. "We should probably just book it."

Jackie agreed and the two raised their pace to a similar one from earlier in the day. Cade was now noticeably faster than Jackie, but he restrained himself enough to keep her in close range.

Cade and Jackie continued for about another half-hour, although they slowed noticeably in the latter half. By this point, the sun was gone and the only light came from the full moon that hung over the desert.

Cade jogged up to a flat rock and sat down on it, panting relentlessly. Seconds later, Jackie did the same.

"Okay, I don't think I can do that for any longer," Cade coughed, barely being able to catch his breath.

Jackie stretched her back out. "Yeah, I'm with you. I'm really feeling hungry now. And thirsty, too. I was before, but now it's getting worse. This is awful."

Out of nowhere, a dull, scratchy noise started to echo from behind the two. Gradually, it grew closer and louder.

"Please tell me you don't hear anything," Jackie said with her eyes closed and a tremble in her voice. Cade shook his head, unsettling Jackie even further.

Jackie crouched down behind the rock, leaving only her eyes and forehead visible. Cade unlooped his belt and held it in his right hand for self-defense.

The noise continued to get louder for a few seconds until it stopped getting louder. The noise seemed to be getting louder and softer at regular intervals.

"What do we do?" Jackie fearfully whispered to Cade.

"I'm going to go a little closer," Cade said with a fake confidence.

"No," Jackie said. "It could be dangerous. Don't risk our safety."

Cade shook his head. "I want to see what it is. If there's a real threat, I want to face it head-on. Letting anything surprise us is not a good idea."

Jackie closed her eyes a sighed heavily. "I'm going with you. We need to stick together."

Cade nodded and gestured for Jackie to walk next to him. The two began to slowly sidestep toward the noise, which was still producing the same sound.

The pair moved a few yards closer to the noise. Cade squinted from where the sound was coming from and thought he saw sand particles getting thrown up and around.

"You see that?" Cade whispered to Jackie.

"Uh," Jackie muttered before she, too, saw the sand. "Oh, yeah. Now I'm even more confused."

Continuing forward, Cade and Jackie began to move more softly and approached the anomaly in an arc pattern. Only a few yards away, Cade knelt down towards the ground to get a better look at the displaced sand.

"It looks," Cade paused, trying to find the right word. "Erratic. Like something's trapped down there or something."

Jackie thought about this situation. "Should we try to startle whatever is making that noise. I assume it's something living. I don't know what else it could be."

"I'll try this," Cade said, reaching for the wallet. He emptied the cash from wallet and aimed it at the sight of the noise. Upon impact, the noise subsided.

"Um," Jackie whispered, looking baffled. "What just happe-"

Suddenly, small form emerged from the ground and jumped in the air. It was still sandy, so Cade and Jackie had no way of identifying it. After the entity landed back on the ground, it shook off the sand from its body and looked at Cade and Jackie, who were gaping.

"A Cacnea?" Cade muttered to himself, visibly relieved by the realization.

"Cade," Jackie said to her companion. "Throw one of those balls at it."

"Yeah, right, I forgot," Cade suddenly remembered, still in shock. The Cacnea was neither afraid nor attached to Cade and Jackie. It instead just stood on the sand with a blank stare of confusion. He fished out one of the two generic Pokeballs from his deep pocket and chucked it at the Cacnea. It shook three times before clicking and coming to a rest.

"I can't believe a little Cacnea like gave us such a scare," Jackie said, much calmer than before.

"Tell me about it," Cade said as he retrieved the Pokeball and the wallet. He put the money back where it was and put the ball containing Cacnea in his other side pocket. "We got so spooked over something that didn't even seem capable of hurting us. What we should be scared of is that fact that we don't have anything to eat or drink. And now it's chilly out, too, so that is also going against us."

"That's true," Jackie agreed. "On the bright side, though we have some actual protection against danger. Hopefully that little guy knows how to battle. I mean, I don't want to force it to unless it's really necessary. It didn't look like it had seen a person before."

"I hope. Technically this Cacnea was the first Pokemon that I owned legally," Cade told Jackie. "It sounds hard to believe, but it's the truth."

"Well, for now, that Cacnea is ours " Jackie said. "As long as we're travelling together, I'm considering it partially mine."

"Sounds all right to me," Cade said while beginning to walk forward. "Maybe you can share a few pointers on how to be a responsible trainer."

"I'd like that," Jackie smiled. A train-like horn suddenly echoed from the near distance.

"I think that was a train horn," Cade exclaimed. "What are the odds that we can hitch a ride? A lot of the Orre trains are those rusty old boxcar ones, so it's plausible."

Jackie looked noticeably more optimistic. "Okay, we should hurry then." Cade nodded and the duo slightly upped their pace in the direction of the horn.

A few minutes later, they reached the tracks. The metal was worn, but intact, although serious repairs were imminent.

"Gotta love the Orre infrastructure," Cade said sarcastically.

"At least it's something. If it's not fully in disarray, I guess it's not a major concern," Jackie joked. Another horn became audible, this one much louder than the first. The sole headlamp from the front of the train became visible to the pair's left.

"Okay, wait until the engine passes and then hopefully we can hop on without being seen," Cade planned. "It doesn't seem to be moving very quickly."

The duo backtracked slight and awaited the train. The speed of the train seemed to slow to walking pace by the time the engine passed. Cade and Jackie moved as one towards the side of the cabins once the first portion had gone by.

"These doors look like they can be opened," Cade observed. "Let me just try to…" he said as he gave one of the door handles a tug. The door slid open immediately, pleasing the two.

"Nice," Jackie said as she hopped up into the train car, her feet still dangling out. "This is nice."

Cade joined her, sighing in relief. "At least we have one of our issues solved for now. I need to rest."

"You can do that. I'll doze off soon, probably," Jackie told Cade. "I'll keep an eye out for a little to make sure nothing happens.

Cade nodded and turned over, facing the other side hatch that was still shut. Just a minute later, he was sleeping soundly.

Jackie took out the papers from the facility. She perused over them again, hoping for any further insight. Finding nothing, she put the sheets back and faced out the open door. Her head and shoulder were leaning on the doorframe and her eyes were gazing out at nothing in particular. A moment later, a few tears began to trickle down her face silently. She wiped them off with her index finger, but her posture remained the same.

" _I really fucked up this time_ ," she thought to herself before sliding the door back part of the way. She then turned over and fell asleep. " _Nothing good has happened to me here. Orre sucks._ "

* * *

 _ **Author's Note: Yeah, it's been a while. A year and a day, to be exact. Despite the large break in updates for this story, I never wanted to give it up. I feel the Orre region and its universe have not been explored enough for how much potential they have. About the chapter itself, it originally had a much different plot line. In the first draft, Cade and Jackie's Pokemon escaped with them and group encountered a Cipher peon before heading to the Outskirt Stand. When reading over the original, I saw a lot of issues with this plotline and decided to drop it entirely. That's about all I have to say for now. Until next time!**_


	3. Chapter 3: Tourist Activity

**Author's Note: If you have any feedback about this chapter, I would love to hear it! Support truly helps! Thanks!**

* * *

Jackie woke up hours later to the sound of metal shredding. She plugged her ears, groaned, and curled up into a ball on the boxcar floor.

"Cacnea, stop it now," Cade whispered to his Pokemon. Cacnea listened and began to roll idly around the floor.

Jackie looked up from the ground and noticed large pins stuck into the opposite wall of the car. She stretched and yawned. "What," she said, clearly groggy, "are those? Those pointy things." She put her head back on her arm, which rested on the floor.

"Cacnea knows Pin Missile," Cade told her. "I'm starting to communicate with it. Hopefully it knows other moves, but at least it's a start."

Jackie got up again, this time with more energy. "That's good. What time is it? Is this thing still moving?" She went over to the door and pushed it back open. It was just past sunrise and the train was still slowly moving down the track. She looked at the surroundings. The train was now moving through a more forgiving terrain. The ground was rocky, but there was vegetation. The tracks ran near a coast, which overlooked wide, flat beach. A small establishment was visible towards the far end of the beach.

"Cade, there's a town down there," Jackie said excitedly to her travel partner. "Let's go right now!"

Cade looked surprised. "Oh, shit, really? I guess it has been a while since i looked at what was outside." He moved over to the door and threw his legs over the side. He jumped off of the boxcar and hit the ground, falling flat on his face. Jackie got off the train with no difficulty.

"That's embarrassing," Cade muttered to himself in disappointment as he got back up. "Forget that happened," he said to Jackie.

The two walked along the rocky hill above the coast until they found a patch of land with a mellow enough slope to descend. The pair was weak, but had enough determination and hope that scaling down the hill was not a physical concern.

At the bottom of the hill, the hard-packed sand felt much more refreshing on their shoes than the sand from the desert. A pair of fishermen was out in a boat a few hundred feet offshore.

"Well, at least we aren't the only people here," Cade said as he pointed to the boat and continued walking. "It's nice to feel like there are other people out here.

"Yeah, it does feel pretty great," Jackie agreed. "So, since we're by the sea, do you plan on leaving Orre now or what?"

"I don't know," Cade said honestly. "I haven't really planned any of that out. I think staying in Orre might not be such a bad idea. After hearing what you plan on doing, taking down Cipher and all, I feel like that's something that is worthwhile to contribute to. It's dangerous, but so is this region."

Jackie looked surprised. "I didn't think you would change your mind so quickly. I'm glad to hear that, though. It's good that I can be with someone with a similar goal. It'll be something, someone, I mean, that will keep me focused."

"We're almost there," Cade pointed out as the small town grew closer and closer. Upon a closer look, the town was actually much bigger than previously thought. There was a marina jutting out into the open sea, with tens of personal boats docker there. A few people were seen walking about on the dock.

Jackie stomach grumbled again, this time louder than ever before. "Our first priority needs to be food and water. This place looks nice, but we need to survive first."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Cade said. "I'm starving. Hopefully there's a nice restaurant somewhere there. I'm assuming this is Nurzey Port."

"That'd make sense," Jackie thought. "We're in the general area… I think."

After walking for a few more minutes, the pair came up to the edge of the the town, entering by traversing a set of steps leading up to the dock. One of the dock laborers turned and saw Cade and Jackie.

"Morning," the man said with a polite nod. "You new to Nurzey? You don't look familiar."

"Uh, yeah," Jackie answered. "We had a rough few days and we're looking for a place to eat. Is there any place you recommend?"

"Try Lucille's," the man said without any hesitation. "Best breakfast in the area." The worker pointed to a narrow brick alley leading away from the dock. "Go down through there, make a left and you'll be on the main drag. Lucille's in on the right. Bright yellow building, you can't miss it."

"Thanks," Jackie said with a smile. She and Cade began to walk off.

"Oh, I almost forgot," the man said, causing the duo to turn back. "There's a fishing contest being held later today. It's free to enter and you can keep a Pokemon, if you catch one. It's a big community event."

"That sounds fun," Cade said. "We'll be sure to check it out."

* * *

Following the directions from the man at the dock, Cade and Jackie found themselves outside of Lucille's Tavern. The outside of the building, like the man said, was a pale yellow and the decor outside the door seemed very homely. A small sign that read " _Come On In!_ " was a pleasant greeting.

As Jackie pushed the door inwards, a small bell positioned in the path of the door rung.

"Mornin'," a feminine voice called from behind the counter across from the door. The counter, which had a few people eating at it, stretched from wall to wall and had stoll placed evenly beneath it. A few unoccupied tables sat on the outer perimeter of the building.

"Have a seat," the woman said to them with a smile as she turned around. She was a heavier set, dark skinned woman with a pen behind her ear. She wore a new white apron over a grey blouse that had a name tag that read Lucille.

"What can I get you two on this fine day?" Lucille asked with the pen and paper in her hand. "We have a hotcake special today, if that interests you. It's 20 dollars each for all you can eat. Unlimited sides, too",.

"I'll have that," Cade said.

"Same here," Jackie said.

"All right," Lucille nodded as she followed up on their orders.

After the food, coffee, eggs, and toast had been made, Jackie and Cade began to dig in. The few locals that had been eating while Cade and Jackie entered had left and no one else had come in.

"You two aren't from around here, are you?" Lucille asked.

"No," Jackie said after taking a sip of water. "It's been a hectic few days for us. We were lucky to find this town."

"I can tell," Lucille said. "It takes special circumstances for people to need to wolf food down that quicky. So what exactly happened to you two."

"We can an… unusual encounter with Cipher," Cade generalized. "It was not a good time."

Lucille nodded. "I understand. This town's grown a lot recently because of Cipher's antics. Orre's been growing rapidly, but there's some towns are getting too dangerous to be in, so people are staying here. Business is booming, but there's not too much room left for people to go."

"Is Gateon Port having the same issue?" Jackie asked. "I know a lot of people get here through that massive port."

"Not quite the same issue," Lucille said as she shook her head. "Cipher has dug its claws into the economy over there. They're importing and exporting all of that contraband and their taking matters into their own hands when things don't go as planned. A lot of the citizens have up and left. Most are going to Yonick Port, which is kinda like it is here. A lot have been going to Pyrite, too."

"That's awful," Cade said.

"Damn right," Lucille said as she took Jackie's finished plate and put it in the sink behind her. "The people here are trying to help as much as we can. As far as we can tell, Cipher doesn't see us here as an issue, and I'm fine with that. We need some more time before there's a serious chance of any resistance movement. Having a one or two people taking down Cipher won't work this time."

"What do you know about any resistance movement?" Jackie asked.

"Not much, to be frank," Lucille frowned as she took Cade's plate. "Ido know there is a considerably sized one growing throughout the region. My daughter in Phenac City says she is a ranking member. It's a topic that's often swept under the rug. We've had some issues with undercover Cipher members that have ended… poorly. Many people don't talk about it much."

"Would meeting your daughter give us valuable insight on this movement?" Cade asked.

"I believe so," Lucille nodded. "I can't promise much, but she would know more than I. If you're serious about this, I'll give her a call and let her know to expect you."

Jackie nodded. "That'd be great. We will probably stay here in Nurzey for a bit before we head out again. Thank you for the meal, by the way."

"Oh, it's no problem at all, hon," Lucille smiled. "It's a pleasure to see new faces and meet new people."

"Well, we should be going," Cade said as he and Jackie stood up. He paid for the meal with a generous tip. A small group of older adults walked in the door at this time, encouraging the pair to leave.

The pair left the establishment as Lucille refocused her attention on the new patrons.

"I really needed that," Jackie said once they were back out in the street.

"Tell me about it," Cade said as he stretched. "It wouldn't be a bad idea to find an inn or something. I feel full but no less filthy. Sleeping in a bed wouldn't be bad either."

"That's not a bad idea," Jackie agreed. "Let's go look for a place."

* * *

After wandering the tight, bricked streets for a few minutes, the travellers stumbled across a quaint inn. The building was small, but it used its space wisely and had more rooms that it seemed.

Cade opened the door to the inn and walked forward to the reception desk with Jackie following him.

"How may I help you, sir,?" an employee politely asked from behind the desk.

"We are just looking for a room for a day," Cade said. "As long as it has a bed and a bathroom, that's fine with us."

The man behind the counter smiled. "I'm confident our room can greatly surpass those requests." He fished out a skeleton key from a compartment in the desk. "Here is the key. Payment can be handled when you leave. Enjoy your stay."

"Thanks," Cade said as he took the key from the man's hand. He and Jackie walked down the hall to their right until they came across room 3, which was denoted by the key's engraving.

Cade inserted the key into the keyhole and turned it to the side. The wood door had a small resistance but opened nonetheless. Inside were two single beds with a bathroom door on the right side of the room. The walls were covered with an off-white wallpaper with small pink flowers. A window currently covered with thick maroon curtains overlooked the neighboring street.

"Well this is dated, but it's something," Jackie shrugged. "I'm going to take a quick shower and then sleep."

"Don't make it too long," Cade said as he sat on one of the beds. The sheets were soft and thick and were certainly much softer than metal.

A few minutes later, Jackie came out of the bathroom, dressed again. She told Cade to hurry as she laid down on the bed. Within minutes she was sound asleep.

Cade took a considerably longer shower. When he was finished and dry, he looked at himself in the mirror. " _Ugh, I need to shave_ ," he though as he observed himself in the mirror. " _Not a concern right now_." He went over to his bed wearing only his boxers and fell asleep as quickly as Jackie did.

* * *

By the time Cade woke up, nearly half a day had gone by. He noticed that he was the only one in the room, which raised questions about Jackie's whereabouts. Cade got out of bed and walked over to the bathroom, expecting to see Jackie. He knocked on the door, but there was no response. Cade then turned the knob and looked inside. His clothes were hanging on the curtain rod in the shower. He saw a handwritten note on a tissue sticking out of the pocket.

" _Went out for while. Be back soon. Clothes are washed and should be dry by now,_ " Cade read from the slightly damp tissue.

He didn't think much of the letter and went back and sat on his bed. Moments later , Cade was sound asleep again, clearly being strained more than he had thought.

* * *

Jackie had taken a considerably shorter nap than Cade, waking up nearly two hours earlier. After washing the clothes, she had left the inn and began to explore Nurzey Port. By the time Cade had slept again, Jackie was leaving a travel convenience store. She finished packing her newly bought supplies in her new backpack and walked further away from the inn.

The weather was a pleasant temperature and the breeze from the sea was a welcome addition. Jackie's hair was gently blowing behind her as she walked along the brick road.

"I can't wait to go fishing for another Pokemon!," a little boy yelled to his friends, bumping into Jackie in the process.

"Hey, wait up!," the boy's friend yelled as he was running by, panting.

" _I completely forgot about that fishing day,_ " Jackie remembered. " _I'm sure Cade is still asleep. He probably wouldn't mind if I explored a bit more._ "

Going off of her memory, Jackie followed the numerous tightly knit brick roads in the general direction of the dock. After some trial and error, Jackie made it back to the dock.

Contrary to the calmness in the morning, the dock was now bustling with activity. There were hundreds of people walking about the dock. A majority of them were fishing off of the wooden railing but there was also a sizeable number on boats.

Jackie walked up a set of wooden steps to get to the dock. A hand-written sign on the top of the railing stuck out immediately. " _Need a fishing rod? Rentals available inside_."

Jackie turned to her left and looked inside the shack, which was stocked with rods. She walked inside and came back a few seconds later with a Good Rod in hand. " _Hopefully this goes well,"_ she thought to herself. She walked down one of the ends of the dock towards the direction she and Cade arrived that morning. The dock was so populated that she had to walk a considerable distance in order to find a large enough opening to try fishing.

She cast the line into the surprisingly deep water and waited. The water was a dark shade of blue which made identifying any Pokemon next to impossible. Despite the wind blowing up on the dock, the water remained calm, which allowed Jackie's line to stay stationary. After a few minutes of no action, Jackie became very bored. She glanced over to her right and saw a father and daughter gleefully reel in a Goldeen and capture it. Jackie laid her head down on her arm which was resting on the dock.

Jackie remained in that pose for nearly a half hour before standing back up. She stretched her back and looked up toward the sky. During this time, the rod moved slightly, but Jackie was unaware. Jackie began to lean over the dock railing once again. It was now late afternoon and the amount of people on the dock was slowly decreasing.

" _Well, this was a waste of time,_ " Jackie thought, dismayed. She grabbed the rod and moved the line around a little to try to attract a catch. A few minutes passed, but the line did not budge. Jackie began to pace around the dock. She first began to walk towards the beach before shortly turning around. She continued this pattern of motion for several rotations before being interrupted by a loud thump.

Jackie turned around in confusion and saw that her rod that was resting on the dock was suddenly thrown against the dock railing. The fishing line was rapidly unwinding. Jackie bolted back over to the rod again and reeled in the line as quickly as possible. The rod initially had a strong resistance, but the rod gradually became easier to handle, as if the Pokemon on the line was moving closer to the dock.

Jackie had only been reeling the line in for a few seconds, but she was already becoming tired. The Pokemon continued to inch closer to the dock, but it did not cease to put up a fight. With a strong tug, Jackie yanked as hard as should could on the rod, which caused the riotous Pokemon to emerge from underwater and get launched up in the air towards the dock.

A Qwilfish was suspended in the air, coming toward Jackie. While its expression clearly showed frustration, there was some fear in its eyes. Its cheeks puffed up and the Qwilfish expelled a stream of water from its mouth which nearly drenched Jackie and a man a fair distance away from her. The Pokemon was still free falling down toward the dock as Jackie took out a Great Ball from her bag and chucked it at the Qwilfish. When the ball hit the planks on the dock, it began to roll and bounce violently. This behavior continued for a few seconds before halting.

Jackie walked over and collected the Great Ball and gathered the rod that she had set down. She rewound the line and walked back toward the shack where she returned the rod.

* * *

Jackie began to head back to the inn, traversing the same route as before. On a somewhat busy street towards the center of Nurzey, she passed by a store with an enticing ad in the window.

" **Large group travel accommodations. We bus to Ryvren, Phenac, and Realgam Tower for cheap. Inquire within,** " the poster read. Intrigued, Jackie opened the door and was greeted by a woman in a business suit behind a small wooden desk.

"I saw you reading the poster," the woman began. "I assume you are interested in the bus fare."

Jackie nodded. "Yes. When is the earliest time it's available?"

"We have one leaving tomorrow," the woman said. "It's nearly full, so I would advise signing up now."

"How much for two tickets?" Jackie asked.

"200 Pokedollars for the both of them," the woman informed.

Jackie took out some of the leftover money from her shopping and handed it to the woman.

"Thank you for your patronage," the woman said as she turned to deposited the money into a register. She came back with two tickets and handed them to Jackie. "The bus leaves at 9 tomorrow morning and it'll reach the Ryvren-Phenac Station at around 10:30. The ticket states the same thing should you forget."

"Okay, thank you very much," Jackie said as she deposited the tickets into the backpack.

* * *

Jackie left the establishment and began walking back toward the inn, arriving minutes later. She knocked on the door, which Cade opened.

"I was getting a little worried that you weren't coming back," Cade said in a joking manner, though his concern was still evident.

"Well, I was getting a lot done," Jackie said as she sat down on her bed. She smelled something enticing in the air. "Did you eat pasta or something in here?"

"Yeah, I ordered some earlier," Cade said as he handed Jackie a take-out style box from the nightstand. "I just got buttered noodles for you because I assumed it was the safest bet."

"Thanks," Jackie smiled as she was handed the food. "I have a lot of cool stuff to tell you about today."

"Oh?" Cade asked curiously. "I'm listening."

Jackie paused from eating her meal. "So first, I went to stock up on some supplies from a convenience store I found. I bought this backpack, some water and snacks in case of emergency, and then some stuff like hand sanitizer and band-aids just in case."

"I see," Cade nodded. "What else?"

"Okay, so then I remembered about that fishing festival thing that was down at the dock, so I went to see how that went. I got there and it was packed when I rented the rod, but it died down after a while. I had no bites for like hours before a Qwilfish got hooked on the line," Jackie continued.

"Oh, shit, did you catch it?" Cade asked.

Jackie nodded. "It was a real bitch to catch, but yeah I did."

"That's sick," Cade commended. "Qwilfish aren't bad at all. Is that all?"

"No, surprisingly," Jackie said. "On the way back from the dock, I came across this, like, bus company that was offering transportation to a station outside of Phenac. I bought two tickets for a bus that leaves tomorrow at 9. I figured that was the safest way to get to Phenac since I don't think I can hike through the desert again right now, or probably for a while for that matter."

"I get it," Cade said. "Although it does sound like you spent a lot of our money. How much do we have left."

"Like 500 dollars," Jackie said.

"I guess that's enough, but not a lot," Cade said. "Then again, we gained so much from those funds that it more than makes up for it. Phenac City has been holding a lot of colosseum tournaments again, so entering one of those might be a good idea."

"That sounds good," Jackie agreed. "Meeting up with Lucille's daughter doesn't need to happen right away. I've actually been eager to battle again, though it won't be the same without my Delcatty."

"I'm sure that you'll be fine," Cade said. "I'm sure you're much better than I am."

"Maybe we should battle," Jackie suggested. "We can test your theory."

"Oh, sure, but not today," Cade said. "I'm sure we're both too tired to be focused and I'm sure you don't even know any of Qwilfish's moves."

"... True," Jackie said. "I'm just excited for Phenac, since the only time I was there was for one night where I was later kidnapped by Cipher."

"Don't remind me," Cade joked.

"We should join the tournament as a doubles team," Jackie suggested after a pause in the conversation. "Since neither of us have battled in a while, we should probably team up to be more competitive."

"Fine by me," Cade said. "From what I remember, though, big events like the tournaments in Phenac require pre-registration online."

"Huh," Jackie said. "Well, since neither of us have our phones anymore, we'll have to find someplace else with a computer. I'd rather sign up now rather than later just to be safe."

"Well, let's go out now," Cade said. "I'll ask the front desk for a place and you can finish eating." Cade left the room shortly after.

* * *

Jackie went through the backpack and pulled out the Great Ball with Qwilfish inside. "I guess we can bond a little while we're out," she muttered as she carried the ball in her hand and left the room, carrying out the trash from the meal.

Once in the lobby, Jackie put trash in a can and saw Cade walk away from the desk. He turned around and saw Jackie and gestured for her to walk over.

"Well, what did they say?" Jackie asked.

"There's an internet cafe down the road," Cade said. He noticed Jackie holding the Pokeball in her hand. "I see you're bringing Qwilfish along."

"Yeah, something tells me it's still a little hostile," Jackie said. "Maybe if I let it out, we can bond a little."

Cade opened the door for himself and Jackie and the pair began to embark down the street. "Let me see it," he said.

Jackie lightly tossed the ball in the air and Qwilfish emerged from it. It floated in the air and glared at Jackie, causing her to look uneasy.

"Calm down, buddy," Jackie said nonchalantly at her Pokemon, who was still staring her down. Qwilfish puffed up its cheeks and held that pose as she backed up a few steps while Cade stood awkwardly a few feet away.

Jackie began to stare back at Qwilfish, accepting the fact that she could be attacked. Qwilfish held his pose as it looked into Jackie's eyes.

"Stop doing that," Jackie said sternly to her Qwilfish. After a minute of staredown, Qwilfish relented and spit the water in its mouth on the road away from Jackie. "Thank you," Jackie said as she rubbed Qwilfish's head, which it seemed to appreciate. "Okay, we're going now."

* * *

The duo walked down the main road with Qwilfish trailing behind somewhat awkwardly. Once the group came across the cafe, Jackie put Qwilfish in its ball and immediately sat at a computer and Cade went to order coffee for the two. Cade returned a few minutes later and sat at a chair next to Jackie.

Jackie found the website used for Phenac's tourneys. "Well, it looks like there is a big tournament in two days," Jackie informed as she sipped her coffee. "That's convenient for us."

"Yeah," Cade said as he pointed at the screen. "Click on 'categories.'"

Jackie followed Cade's instruction and clicked the tab, revealing an extremely long list of registration categories. "Oh…" Jackie whispered in awe.

"Let me see," Cade said as he looked closer at the screen. "This one should be it, he said as he pointed to a category titled 'Partner Single Pokemon Challenge - Doubles.'"

Jackie shook her head. "Wow, they really have everything; I didn't even see that," she said as she clicked on the link. The webpage had several boxes to fill in details about the two participants and their Pokemon.

After typing the information, Jackie stretched back in the office chair she was sitting it. "Okay, that should be everything," she said. "We should go back to the hotel, I guess, and get some sleep."

"I think we should just relax here for a while," Cade said. "We're going to be real busy these next few days, so we should take it easy and just stay here for a little longer."

"You know what, I'm fine with that," Jackie said as she drank more of her coffee.

* * *

 **Author's Note: This chapter had a few delays, but a month later isn't nearly as bad as a year-long break. My schedule has eased up a bit, so updates to this story should be uploaded more frequently. About the chapter itself, I had a few conflicting plans for the plot that I resolved. For instance, Qwilfish was originally planned to be a Remoraid and Cade and Jackie were planned to battle this chapter. This chapter was also originally supposed to have a grittier feel, but after the first two chapters, I decided to balance the story out a bit. Once again, if you read this chapter in its entirety and have feedback, I would appreciate hearing what you have to say! Until next time...**


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